Running From the Past
by Golden Butterfly of Atlantis
Summary: For two years, Max has been running from the police. One day, when she drives past Fang's town, she needs a hostage. And who better than that random boy over there? But while Fang's being held hostage, he might just uncover that there is more to Max than meets the eye.
1. The Beginning

Running From the Past

For two years, Max has been running from the police. One day, when she drives past Fang's town, she needs a hostage. And who better than that random boy over there? But while Fang's being held hostage, he might just uncover that there is more to Max than her title of Most Wanted.

Pawns

Max took a slice of cake from the restaurant's handouts. It was for employees only, but Max didn't really care. It wasn't as if anybody would find out who took the cake. After all, Max was a highly skilled criminal.

Before the accident happened, Max was a normal girl. Sure, she had made a mistake that had cost her dearly, but she was innocent. When she told the police that, they didn't believe her. So she was locked up in the police station.

Max couldn't live a life in jail, so with the help of her friends, she escaped. The police chased her across town, but she made it. The police couldn't believe a child had escaped their clutches, and so they offered a pricey reward for anybody who captured Max and Company.

Everybody wanted the reward. Max had nowhere to hide. So to live, Max had to become the very thing she wasn't. A criminal. That was two years ago.

Now Max was No. 1 wanted.

But today, Max couldn't worry about that trouble. She was about to meet up with Iggy and Nudge- her two friends with the talent of escaping trouble (something they did when they helped Max escape). It wasn't a formal meeting, just one that would let Max know where the police were looking, where they weren't, and what Max should disguise as next.

Nudge found everything over the police radio. Her foster father used it before he died and left Nudge with a fortune.

Nudge was lucky. She had money to support her.

Max sighed. If her life had gone nicely, she would be at home right now, eating chocolate cookies and talking with her sister. She too would have money to support her.

But that wasn't Max's life anymore. It never would be again. Sometimes the thought stung. Sometimes it brought thrill, adventure. But it was always a numb emotion.

To Max, her life seemed like a routine. Do something, change appearance so nobody identifies you, check in with Nudge and Iggy, change appearance, check in with Angel, do something again. It wasn't always boring, but it was always exasperating.

_It's always a good time,_

_ It's always a good time._

Nudge's ringtone, _Good Time, _by Owl City and Carly Rae Jepsen sang across the room. Max picked up the phone.

"Yeah, what is it?"

"Hey, when are you coming over? We have everything ready. We might even have some extra information!"

"Uh, that's great I'll be over in a second." Bye temporary cake. Max left the restaurant and walked to her car. It was glossy from the recent waxing it had. Of course, it had just been stolen from the waxing place.

As soon as Max had opened the car door, she was speeding. Luckily, no police cars were watching her go. Nothing good came from that.

Max was at Nudge's house in five minutes. The house was glorious. No wonder Iggy stayed here.

"Hey girl!" Nudge yelled from inside the house.

"Hey Nudge. What," Max stepped inside the house. "Do you got?"

Their voices were hushed as they discussed everything they thought important. But there was one part where Max almost screamed. "Wait! They're looking for me in almost every town in Dakota? I haven't even done anything in that state!"

Nudge rolled her eyes. "Yeah, I know. But I think you kind have implied that you were going to stop down there. You pretty much left that message. However, there is this one area, on the corner of North Dakota, at the very top, next to Michigan. I think that place is pretty unguarded."

"Nudge, I want a place where you are absolutely certain the cops aren't looking for me."

"Ok, ok. There's this place in Virginia. It's called Alexandria. They won't catch you because they are dealing with a tax protest in their greater parts. It may not be the safest idea considering all the cops using pepper spray for the riots, but it's better than most of what we have."

"Ok. Sounds good. What's my new look?"

Iggy laughed. "Nudge has been working real hard on this one." He said.

Nudge glared at him, but it did nothing to him- he was blind. "I am turning you into a redhead. It has a special mix in it, so like the other ones it will come out in three days. You will have black eyes. For your outfits, I have some things set out for you in your suitcase. And please don't complain about the dress."

Max grit her teeth. "Of course not. What's done is done."

As soon as she left the house, Max was in touch with Angel, her strategist, as she drove to Virginia.

"Alexandria, huh? Well, stay low key, and don't wander the streets with the car. I would walk around and try to look like a rebel who hates taxes." Angel took a pause in her speech and laughed. "I think Nudge has a shirt or something for that. 'DON'T Go With The Flow' it says. I wouldn't wear anything that makes you stick out. And despite the shirt, don't get in with the action that's going on in there. I have a bank for you to rob, and I can't have my stealing plans ruined by your anger issues."

Angel continued, "And I want a hostage. Alexandria's full of people on the streets. Pick one and keep them until you need a completely clean slate for a plan. And Max?"

"Yes?"

"Try not to go threat crazy. Or sarcasm crazy. You know those officers are just stalling when they talk to you."

"Yeah, whatever. They haven't caught me before, have they?"

Angel's voice was colder this time. From what, Max couldn't comprehend. "Goodbye Maximum Ride." The phone clicked shut on the other line.

While driving with one hand, Max unzipped her suitcase. Inside was a gray shirt with the same words as Angel had said, some ripped jeans, some sneakers, and an 'I Love Haters' hat. Despite being a disguise, it looked like actual Max clothing, which was nice for a change.

* * *

_**3 hours Later**_

_Should I go to sleep in the car? Yes? No? Hmm . . . yes it is. _As soon as Max tried to sit down and curl up, Iggy called.

_Pervert Pervert Pervert_

That was Iggy's ringtone. Just the word pervert repeated over and over. "Hey, Igster. What's the problem?"

"Nothing. But we found something. There is a small sector of Alexandria that is like rich people zone. If you are taking hostages make sure you take one from there."

"K, Iggy." Max didn't really care by this point. She was ready to shut her eyelids.

"I have to go. Nudge's suspicious of this guy who she's seeing everywhere. We're worried he could tap our calls." Iggy clicked his phone shut. Max sighed. Nudge always thought someone was on their tail.

But she felt like she should be thankful. If Nudge weren't so careful, would they be behind bars now? Max didn't think she could stand if she ever got caught. As hard as it was to believe, she wasn't supposed to be caged. Or a criminal.

Max turned her head to the picture of her family she had placed on the dashboard. There were eight copies in random places, waiting for her in case she lost any. The photo was of her mother, sister, dad, brother, and her.

The photo was complete, which Max was thankful for. After she had copied it, she returned to her home once to get the original. It was almost complete. It was just Max that was missing. Maybe it was to symbolize the family she had lost. Or maybe to say that Max was out of their family. Permanently.

Either way, she wasn't going to take a photo that left her out of her family. Sure, she had been a lot of trouble when she was with them, and she still was even without them, but it wasn't her fault that they were separated forever. Or was it?

That question kept Max awake at night, sometimes. But she wouldn't let it today. She had important business for the next day. Every detail about the plan took a bit of money, so Max had better do a good job, or she would be in a boatload of trouble. Of course, Max had a plan of her own.

She would get a hostage, make them rob the bank or something, keep them in the dark, make the family pay money for their return, make the person retrieve money, set them free. Some people would think Max was crazy, having a plan like that. It had so many holes. But not if Max put a tracker on the person. Then, she could always find them. And it wouldn't be a cheap strap-on one. Max had learned from her previous mistakes.

This tracking device would be under the skin. It couldn't be deactivated, but that was the best part. The devices cost money. You might need to reuse them, she thought.

These types of thoughts were burned in Max's head. Sit straight, talk clearly, and hold a gun behind your back. If some person makes a mess, leave no survivors or witnesses. Her mother would be ashamed.

But death came for everyone at one point, right?

**I do not own Maximum Ride or Good Time or the clothes mentioned. Note: This is just a preview of my story that will be coming out later.**


	2. The Bank and Riot

Running From the Past

For two years, Max has been running from the police. One day, when she drives past Fang's town, she needs a hostage. And who better than that random boy over there? But while Fang's being held hostage, he might just uncover that there is more to Max than her title of Most Wanted.

Alexandria

Sun leaked into Max's car at around six a.m. The light was an arrogant wake up call, telling Max to get up and do her work. Max had a few choice words for the sun, especially since the robbery was scheduled at around twelve in the afternoon- six hours from six.

Of course, it was always a good idea to get up early. Then Max could do what she'd forgotten to do at Nudge's place: change her appearance.

Luckily, the public bathroom was open and Max was able to rinse the dye in at the sink and place the dark contacts on her eyes at the mirrors. When Max was finished, she looked up at the mirror to see her transformation.

It wasn't pretty. The hair was a bright superficial orange-red that stood out against Max's pale skin. And the eyes- Max didn't know where to begin. The black coloring made her look like a vampire on Halloween.

As soon as the dye rinsed out and the contacts were off, Max would be having a word with Nudge on her disguise choices.

To pass the time, Max stayed in the restroom and wrote on the mirrors and walls. Shockingly, no one came in while she graphitized the walls.

Halfway through writing the word "Tofu" on a stall door, Max got a text from Angel. It was possibly the most important information of the day. However, the information was hard to decipher when Angel texted like a teenage girl.

_OMG, found prfect bnk 2 rob. On cornr of 5 stret. Looks __. Get rich lol. Txt bak. TTYL._

That was Angel. Intellectual nine-year-old in reality, teenage girl in text.

Even though Max thought Angel made no sense through texting, she was still able to decode the message: _Oh my god, I found the perfect bank to rob. It is on the corner of Fifth Street. Looks good. Get rich. Laugh out Loud/Hahaha. Text back. Talk to you later. _

So the bank Max was going to get was on the corner of Fifth Street– only three blocks away. Max had to admit the place had looked pretty good when she passed it.

Stonewalls, glowing exterior, and the whole shebang. The only trouble Max had seen at all was the guards. Two muscular men blocked the small brass doors. But more intimidating than the muscle were the weapons at the side of the men.

Guns had always scared Max. Sure, she had used them plenty of times, but guns and gunpowder technology was the lead in cause of death. And Max wasn't prepared to die.

However, if she wanted to fuel her group's work (and just be wealthier in general), she would have to get over her fears.

Without Angel's mastermind strategy to guide her, Max made a plan of her own. The guards could be easily taken out with sleeping drugs. How to get the sleeping drugs in their bodies was a different thing entirely. And there was the fact that it would be suspicious if two guards fell asleep on the sidewalk.

Once Max figured out what she would do for the guards, she then proceeded onto the actual robbery. The doors, though narrow, were the perfect way to escape. If the bank were structured as Max thought it was, the doors would lead straight to where the money was.

* * *

**Later That Day**

Max walked towards the bank carrying only a bottle of water, a purse, and a gun. The water was drugged with sleeping pills, the purse would hold the money, and the gun was, well, a gun.

It was all Max needed.

Her plan sprung into action when she approached the two guards and took out her water bottle. Pretending to take a swig of the water, she tilted her head back just a little bit too far back.

The scene was going how Max wanted it to. By tilting her head back so far to "drink" from the water, it looked like the drink was being forced down her throat. With water coming out that fast, it would be the perfect excuse to "choke" on the liquid.

Max spewed water all over the guards and their coats. Truthfully, it was just normal water she had spewed, but it was scented with the same medicine smell the poisoned water held. And hopefully, the scent would lure them in.

The first guard was an angry sort of man, the type that has terrible insults but fights with people at every chance. He snapped at Max, "Are you kidding me? I dry-clean this suit every day and it's ruined! I spent all of my paycheck just yesterday getting this suit sleek and nice, and you have destroyed all of my money! You are covering my suit and my paycheck, do you hear me?"

Max put on an apologetic look. "I am so, so sorry. I really didn't mean any trouble."

The other guard was gentler. "My associate and I don't mean any trouble. Please, don't listen to him. We can get this cleaned up on our own. Just go ahead and– hey, what's this smell?"

The guards sniffed their jackets simultaneously. The angry guard looked at the water bottle accusingly. "What do you have in that bottle?"

Angry Guard snatched up the canteen. Then, in an odd series of events, he sniffed the drink, took a sip, and then passed it to his coworker, who did the same.

Wow. Max knew her plan would work some way or another but she hadn't expected the guards to be this stupid.

Both guards looked at each other and said, "Sleeping pills." Nicey turned to Max.

"What are you doing with sleeping pills?"

Max began to look frantic. "Nothing, I swear. It's just to help me sleep at night. I have insomnia."

Angry Guard looked suspicious. "Alright, let's haul her up to the station."

Nicey nodded. "It's the only way."

Max was going to face-palm. Was this some sort of joke? Sure, it was part of her plan, but it was never meant to go this well.

The guards led Max to their car. It was an old SUV that was disintegrating at the wheels. No way they thought this would hold Max. They might not have known her identity, but that wouldn't stop her even if she _weren't_ Maximum Ride_._

But they were serious, and lo and behold Max was in their van as they slowly snailed towards the station.

This was the easy part. Max had laced the sleeping drug with a mixture of her own. It was a concoction she liked to call _Gazzy_, named after Angel's brother the Gasman (yes, that was the name his parents gave him).

Gazzy, an eleven-year-old boy, was also an important asset to the crime team. He worked with Iggy to make explosives, and together, they made the world terrified. Plus, he also had his _natural_ talent- being Gazzy.

It was the natural talent Max was using in the mixture. If you bottled up the scent of Gazzy, you could knock someone out for at least thirteen hours.

And that's what was happening to the guards. The first one to drift away was Nicey, who was in the passenger's spot. Soon after, Angry guard fell asleep too, and Max hopped out of the car before it crashed.

Looking at her surroundings, Max saw that she wasn't very far from the bank. The guards hadn't gotten far- in fact; they'd both fallen asleep almost exactly where the public restroom was.

So Max only walked three blocks before reaching her destination. The bank, now with no armed people, was perfect. Max walked in, prepared to take all the money she could.

She swung the door open, and then locked it behind her. There was a considerable amount of people in the bank. Great for making panic.

Once she had walked to the corner of the bank, right where the locked door to the money storage was. Hopefully, her standing so close to the door would make people uncomfortable.

It wasn't long before a bank employee came over there to tell her to move it or lose it. "Excuse me, but we have to ask you to please move. You're not supposed to be in this section of the bank."

Max nodded, reached in her purse and then pulled out her gun. She put it to the woman's head.

The woman froze. Her eyes widened with fear. _Typical, _Max thought. _Can't hold her own against a weapon._

Max waited a few seconds for people to look at her at get scared. All eyes were on her as she turned to the people of the bank.

"I want five hundred dollars from each of you or I will kill this woman and everyone who didn't pay me. And if any of you think you can win against me, you should be informed that my comrades are ready to bust this place anytime." A lie, but the people would eat it up. They always did.

The first person to move was a man in his early thirties. He shuffled out and handed Max all the money in his wallet (besides the coins, but who wants coins?). He was about to make a move for the door, too, but max stopped him.

"If you think you're going anywhere, you're mistaken. You and every person in this place are staying until I get what I want."

The man shuffled back to his place. Max smiled heartlessly. It was just the trick to get everyone to pour his or her money out to Max.

After Max had gotten all the money she needed from the people around her, she exited the building as quietly as she could. Nobody around her seemed to notice a thing.

At first she thought that was strange, because someone always was a little bit suspicious of Max after a crime. But Max saw almost immediately why no one was looking at her.

It was a riot. It was the very thing Max and the gang (called the Flock) were looking for in Alexandria. The riot would be great for hostage getting. _Thanks, Karma. I'll pay you back one day. _

She scanned the crowd quickly. Nobody stuck out. _Damn. _Max was out of luck.

Until she saw the boy in black crossing the street.


	3. Fang

Running From the Past

For two years, Max has been running from the police. One day, when she drives past Fang's town, she needs a hostage. And who better than that random boy over there? But while Fang's being held hostage, he might just uncover that there is more to Max than her title of Most Wanted.

The Hostage

The boy was perfect. He was handsome enough to attract a large reward, normal enough to not be noticed, and he looked like a rebel. Just the type Max needed.

People all over the street wore black, but none wore it as well as him. This was a factor she would use to my advantage. It could have been used as her demise as well, but she was counting on that.

Before Max sauntered over to him, she looked at the bank. Nobody had filtered out yet. Therefore, nobody could harm her intentions. This day was going just as she had hoped.

Max sprinted to her car. If the boy weren't gone by the time she got back, Max would praise her atheist, non-existent god.

The car sped to the bank area. The boy was still there, almost as if he was waiting for Max. Max opened the passenger's door.

The boy frowned at Max. He raised an eyebrow at her, almost as if he wanted to tell her, _"Seriously?"_ But he didn't utter a word.

Max glared at him expressionlessly. "Get in the damn car."

The boy laughed. "No."

Max hopped out of the car. Cautiously checking her surrounding, she noticed everybody was still rioting. Figures. She pointed her gun at his head. "You listen to me. You'll get in this car when I tell you to. If you don't I will shoot you and all of your family."

He kept up the brave man act, but Max could see the fear brewing in his eyes. She carried her act further by saying, "How would your parents like it if you showed up dead on their porch with a note taped on you skull? Tell me, which message do you think they'd like? Do you think they'd want 'You're next', or is that too simple for them? Maybe it should be 'Your son was only the first'."

The boy said nothing. Max could see him cracking. He didn't know which one to choose. He could battle with himself all day if he'd like, but Max would shove him in the car if he didn't hurry.

"I'd rather die." The boy glared at Max. His gaze made her feel like he was staring into her soul and criticizing her for being evil. Max hated the feeling, but she wasn't about to take this.

"Nope, wrong answer." Max shoved him in the seat before he could react. He was pushed with such force he was momentarily stunned, and that was all the time it had taken for Max to drive the hell out of there.

* * *

_**Three Hours Later**_

Max still owned the wheel. Every move was one of precision that pushed her away from Virginia. Away from the place where the boy lived and the money was stolen.

The boy hadn't spoken the entire ride. Whenever Max tried to get him to speak up, he would just sneer at her. _Hostages, _she thought. _Can't live with them, can't live without them. _

In another attempt to get him speaking, Max slammed the breaks to make him panic.

Nothing. Not even a shift in weight. Well, this hostage was officially annoying Max.

"Why won't you talk? I haven't poisoned the air. If you can't tell, I'm having no problems with my voice."

"I'm breathing."

"Really? I didn't notice, Fang!" That was his name from now on. Fang. Everybody got a tag name, one that could be used by Max and her Flock.

He got his name from the wooden fang hanging on his cheap-looking necklace.

Obviously Fang didn't understand his nickname. He argued, "I'm not Fang."

Max didn't know who this guy thought he was, but if he talked to her like she was average again, he had something coming for him. Maximum Ride was no normal girl. And what hostage was stupid enough to talk to their captor like that?

"Yes, you are Fang. I don't care what your actual name is. From now on you will answer to Fang. You will call me Max, nothing more, nothing less. Got it?"

Fang clenched his jaw. "Ok _Max." _He put all his hate into the word. "Is that even your real name?"

Max smiled. The boy was talking, even if it was to anger Max. This was progress. So Max felt like she had to reward Fang for talking, even if that was something a dog would get. "It's my nickname. My name's Maximum, but nobody calls me that. I expect you to do the same."

The boy didn't say anything. Max didn't expect him to. She knew what he was thinking. Fang knew who she was, and he confirmed it by what he said a second later. "Maximum Ride."

Max wasn't sure whether to beam with pride or frown with guilt. She decided to keep a straight face. That was the best choice for her.

Fang watched Max steer to the closest motel. Max pretended not to feel like she was being examined. It made her remember– _No Max, don't think of it! _Her mind shut down for a few moments as she wiped those thoughts straight out of her head.

She would not think about the bad things today. Instead, she would focus on parking at the motel she had found: Cream and Sugar Motel.

Nobody was around the place. It was a small building that looked like it would be used for old ladies tea parties. However, no old ladies were present except for the one who was waiting at the door of the inn.

Max walked out of the car with Fang. Before they were at the door, Max cut a glare at Fang. It stated, "No funny business." Fang got the message.

Max smiled at the old lady. "We would like to know if we could rent a room here. My colleague and I need an appropriate place to reside at, and we think this is it."

Her charm worked on the old lady, and a key was given to Max– no charge. Of all the people she had to cheat, Max chose an old lady.

* * *

_**In The Room**_

The first thing Max did when she arrived at the room was lock the door behind Fang. The doors weren't ones that were unlock able from the inside. They were old-school key-needed doors. Fang had no luck at escaping unless he called for help or something.

But Max was never one to let people go. So the second thing she did was put the transmitter on him.

That was tricky business that Max never wanted to go through ever again.

"Fang! Stop moving! This would be easier if you just held still!"

"Easier for who?" Fang yelled at Max as he continued to run away from the needle in Max's hand.

"For both of us, dolt! I get my shower and you get time alone while I'm in the restroom!" Max was on her last nerve. She pounced on Fang.

It was difficult to keep Fang down. He kept kicking and punching. Sadly for him, there was no escape from Maximum Ride.

Max plunged the needle into his neck. The syrup injected in his body would serve as an everlasting tracker from then on.

Fang froze as the needle broke skin. He was aware of what this meant for him. Now he was trapped.

She got off him and reached for her phone. Checking the tracker. Max smiled at her results. Fang was being tracked.

"Thank you, Mr. Talkative for your time. I'm going to take a shower but you can turn on the TV. K?"

Fang nodded. He was back to Stage One, Max knew. No more talking. So much for progress.

The shower relaxed her, if only for a few minutes. She was no longer in a cruel world; she was in heaven. Steam enveloped around her. Max could stay there forever.

Until she listened to the program Fang was watching. The local news was playing, and Max was the main headline.

"Maximum Ride, prime suspect of today's robbery, was allegedly seen with a boy who then got into her car. The boy, believed to be Nicholas Walters, was then sped away from the seen. While their location is not known, you will most likely find them in a car with the license plate 'W4R 1S 8AD'. This car is a stolen car and should be reported to the police even if the suspect is not found."

The woman blabbered on. "If you do find the suspect, please report her. Now back to you, David."

A deeper voice came on. Max had heard it before, but she had never been the subject of discussion. Now she was, and she wasn't going to interrupt this.

"Suzanne, I think we can all assume Maximum Ride is either long gone or will be caught soon. She leaves sloppy clues directing us to her. We will find her sooner or later."

Max was fuming. Did he just call her work amateur?

Max stormed into the room with TV. She turned off the show immediately. She would not listen to this imbecile speak about her like that. She would graffiti his car! She would paint his eyes shut!

Fang seemed to know to get away from her. He made some mutter about taking a shower too, and then he was off.

Max didn't care about Fang at the moment, though. She just cared about revenge. Revenge, revenge, revenge. Her whole body rocked with the word.

Max was even about to start doing some serious plotting, but then something stopped her.

It was her Voice, her inner conscience. It was repeating one phrase that Max could never forget. A phrase that stopped her in her tracks.

_Do you remember the last time you got revenge?_


	4. Police

Running From The Past

Police

The words were carved into Max's mind. _Do you remember? Do you remember the last time you got revenge?_ She couldn't shake them.

Words like those stopped her from making rash decisions, but they also left Max numb for days. When Fang stepped out of the shower, there was only the shell of Max.

She was staring at the blank TV screen and rocking her body back and forth. Her hair was everywhere, and if Fang hadn't known who she was, he would've felt sorry for her.

Max didn't notice Fang when he came out of the restroom. She was just echoing the words in her head. _Remember the last time you got revenge? Remember the last time you got revenge?_

Revenge suddenly seemed like the most despicable thing in the world, and Max turned her back on her previous thoughts. She would take the safe road. A road filled with safety and comfort. A place where people weren't there own enemies. Yeah, that sounded awesome.

Only then did she notice the dark figure in the corner of the room. Unbeknownst to her, Fang had been watching her freak fest. Now, not only did her hostage think she was evil, he also thought she was deranged. And though the two went hand-in-hand, Max wasn't so sure her acceptance level was high on his end.

She stood up, looking him in the eye. His gaze didn't falter. "Well, I see you are finished in there. Since the news has announced the car's license plate, I think we should rocket. If you disagree, speak now or forever hold your peace."

Fang decided he would speak then. "What were you doing? Where are we going?"

Max mock fainted. "He speaks!" She collapsed on the floor. From her position on the ground, she told him, "Seriously, though, we're ditching this place. First we're going to take a stop at my friend Nu–Monique's place. Then we'll just take it from there."

Fang grew suspicious. "Wouldn't that require me _seeing_ where her place is?"

Max smirked. He was catching on pretty quickly, and even though that wasn't a trait that would help Max at all, it was nice to see a smart hostage for once. "Yep. It would require you seeing her house. And since that obviously wouldn't help us . . ." She trailed off before binging an evil smile to her lips. "Night, night Fang."

Before Fang could move out of Max's way, her fist settled on his face. Fang slumped down dizzily.

Max got out her old bandana and tied it around his eyes. Then, for extra precautions, she tied Fang up. It wasn't an old fashion tie-up, it was a Maximum tie-up. Fang would be lucky if he could walk again by the end of the day.

Max hauled his deadweight body down to the parking lot.

What she saw was an awful surprise. A group of cops circled Max's car, wrapping tape around the area. The place was now a crime scene. And Max was the target.

The police didn't contain their excitement. One of them, a boy with blond hair and the classic "beach look", seemed very excited. "We're going to catch her!" He exclaimed.

Another officer, the captain of the team, shushed him. "You fool. If she hasn't heard us now, it'll be out of shear luck. This is our shot, Dylan, and I will not be pleased if you mess this up."

Officer Dylan frowned. "Yes, Maya." He contained his excitement for the time being.

Max was trapped. Cops were searching the perimeter, and if she was going to lug his body all the way to her next escape vehicle, she would have to make it quick.

Max took a quick analysis of the situation. There were seven cops that Max had seen so far, and they all went in one car. Only two were carrying weapons, but five of them looked strong. Beach Boy Dylan didn't belong in either grouping.

Only three were actually around the area Max was at. And when one of them was Dylan, this situation would be easy to take care of.

Dylan was your regular Type B personality. He was the kind of guy that annoyed all the people he worked with, even though nobody truly wanted to see him go. That was the type of person Max needed to shoot. Someone likeable enough to cause commotion, but annoying enough to get officers to leave the scene.

Max pulled out her gun and pointed it at the police. She didn't want to do this. Even though she had captives kill people for her, she had never actually shot anybody since Jeb.

_Jeb. _Suddenly, the temperature outside felt cold and brutal. Max felt like air was being pushed from her body. She felt choked, held at the throat by the memory of Jeb.

Max didn't even notice that she had pulled the trigger.

Beach Boy Dylan was standing exactly where he had been before– in the bullet's range.

It wasn't until she heard him scream that she saw what she had done.

Dylan lay in a rapidly growing pool of blood. From Max's observations, she had struck his upper-left chest. It wasn't a good place to be hit, and Max knew that from experience.

Every officer ran up to him. "Oh, God. Star, get him a doctor! And the rest of you, find that girl! She will not get the chance to run." Maya Cop commanded. They listen to her obediently.

Now was her chance. The two were so concerned about blondie's safety that they left themselves vulnerable.

Max sprung up quietly, dragging Fang behind her. That Maya must have heard her, though, because she turned and faced Max.

Maya's glare was cold and calculating. Max felt uncomfortable under her eyes. So she looked right back defiantly, in hope that the girl would drop her stare. The girl didn't miss a beat.

"Why shoot him?" For a moment Maya looked sad, but she regained her composure soon enough.

"Why not him?" Max edged towards the car. "He was weak, likeable, and excitable." Max stepped closer to the vehicle.

Maya's voice was possessive this time. "He was not weak. No, he _is _not weak."

"Ah, somebody's in love. He doesn't know, does he? And now you might never get to tell him." Max skittered closer and closer to the automobile.

Maya's lip wavered. "No, he knows. He has to." She seemed to be telling herself more than Max.

"We both know he doesn't know anything about your little crush. And he's going to die without ever thinking you liked him. I saw his face. He thinks you hate him."

Maya broke down in an avalanche of tears. She didn't even stop to pullout her gun when Max threw Fang in the car and started to hotwire the engine. Maya's friend, Star, didn't do anything either. She was too busy calming down Maya.

The truck's engine revved. Max had successfully found her way out of a sticky situation. With one last look at Maya and Dylan, she sat herself in the driver's spot and got away from the hotel.

She was off to Nudge's now. Pretty soon, she'd have to ditch the cop car so the neighbors wouldn't get suspicious, but Max didn't care to think of that.

She focused on the road until Fang started to stir. He ruffled around his chair noisily.

"Will you stop that?" Max asked.

"Did you tie me up? Get me out of this!"

Max didn't feel like listening to silly boys. "Shut up Fang, or I won't hesitate to shoot you in the foot. I had to shoot a guy in the chest to get this car, and I'll shoot you to make you shut up. Got it?"

Fang didn't reply, and Max took it that he didn't want to risk his foot. Unlike Nudge, he was good at keeping at his words in.

When they rounded the corner to Nudge's place, Max saw Iggy waiting on the porch expectantly. He jumped at the sound of the car. He was eager to tell Max something.

Iggy pounced (verbally) on Max as she helped Fang out of the vehicle. "You're on the news, Max. It's the biggest story about you in a while. They're talking dramatically and all, saying you shot a guy and killed him. Is it true?"

"I killed him?" Max couldn't dream of that. She couldn't think of that. It wasn't possible.

"Max . . . you didn't answer the question."

"Did he die, Iggy?"

Iggy wouldn't look her in the eye. He could figure the answer out for himself at his point. "Yes, Max. He died."

On the inside, Max felt crushed. She had killed an innocent boy. And that Maya girl–she never got to tell him he liked her.

Max felt despicable. But she didn't express it. Instead, she moved on to an easier topic. "Iggy, this is my hostage, Fang. He's rolling with us until I say he gets to leave."

Iggy could see through Max's trick, but he knew better than to point that out. She had the temper of a snake, and she spared no one from it. "Ok. Nudge says she wants to interrogate your hostage in the dark room. You should take him there."

"Thanks. I'll talk with you in the kitchen after I leave him with Nudge." Max didn't wait for Iggy to protest as she walked to the dark room.

The dark room was just that–a dark room. It was good for confusing people who you didn't want to escape. It was also helpful for scaring the life out of victims.

Nudge greeted Max at the door. "Hey, Max. Is this your hostage? What's his nickname? Is it emo or something? I know you like to be creative with the nicknames. I remember, once you captured this girl and you named her 'Bob' because you thought she looked like a Bob. But you and I both know she looked more like a Clancy."

"This is Fang. And Bob looked a Bob, not a Clancy. Clancy's a name for rich kids."

"It is not! That was my father's name."

Max grinned. "And what's your point? I remember him having piles of money."

Nudge frowned at being out-witted. She grumbled, "I'm just going to go and talk to the hostage now. Hopefully he's not as hostile as the infamous Maximum Ride!" She and Fang exited swiftly.

Max trotted down to the bathroom. She was just about ready to viciously scrub the dye out of her hair when a knocking sounded at the door of the restroom.

Max didn't open it. If they were going to interrupt her hair cleansing, they were going to do it when she wanted it.

As she thought that, the door fell to the ground. It had been knocked straight off its hinges by a person with inhuman strength.

Max looked at the person who knocked down the door. But it wasn't a person at all.

It was one of her father's minions. It was an Eraser.


	5. Ari

Running From The Past

Chapter Five

For seconds, Max was in shock. The last time she had seen an Eraser was the last time she saw her dad. That was just before she became a fugitive.

Now, after two years, she had nearly forgotten these animals. Half-human, half-wolf, they were the epitome of evil. With handsome human faces and sculpted muscles, an average person might think them too physically perfect to be true. Max would've agreed if she hadn't seen the claws that came from those bodies, too.

The Eraser growled at Max. With a swipe from its paw, Max face was sliced open at the cheek.

Its booming laugh lit the house with fear. "Hello, Maxie. How's life been treatin' ya?"

For the first time in a long time, Max was made of terror. Yes, she was a fighter, but even her skills didn't always win against Erasers.

But that didn't stop Max from attacking back. She retorted, "Life's been well. It's so nice of you to stop by. How's your employer doing?"

It was a feeble attempt to get a reaction out of it, but the Eraser still cringed when she mentioned his employer. "Jeb is good. It took him awhile to get back on his feet after that burn you gave him, but he has, and he's now stronger than ever before."

Max frowned at the wolf. "I think we both know that Jeb is long gone. In fact, some might even say he's in the grave."

The creature laughed a full-on cackle. "Is he?" He slunk closer to Max in order to corner her in the room. "I think if you stuck around a little longer, you would find he survived your attacks."

For a split second, Max's face flashed with regret and sadness. Her heart was on her face. If Fang or Nudge had seen her face, they would've known exactly what she was thinking. A moment later, it was obvious the Eraser knew, too.

It taunted, "You thought you managed to kill Jeb? Your efforts were in vain. And your whole family had to pay the price."

"Shut your trap before I shut it for you." Though her voice was unsteady, Max's intentions were clear: if he were to continue to babble on about her past, about her family . . . he would pay the price.

The Eraser didn't take the message to heart. "Is little Max getting angry? Can she not face the fact that she m–"

The Eraser never finished his sentence. Before Max knew what she was doing, her fist was on the jaw of the thing in front of her.

The Eraser stumbled back; shocked that she had dared to make a move against him. It looked surprised at itself for moving under her hands.

Max's voice was crystal clear and cold when she told the eraser what she thought about her actions. "I don't care if you are an experiment that is built to be strong, but I can still fight you with my natural muscle. You might say that is because of Jeb, but you forget that he never finished Project Maximum. I am stronger than you without science."

The Eraser scoffed, but anyone would've noticed the hesitation in its steps as it advanced towards Max. "That is not only false, it is an offense to your father." He admitted. "The maker of your being and mine."

The creature spent no time to cut off Max's reply by a jab to the face. Claws raked across her cheeks and blood spurt from her face. Max's scream echoed through the house.

In the room of interrogation, Nudge and Fang both glanced to the door curiously as a loud yelp sounded into the room. Nudge walked to the door. Fang stayed put.

"What was that?" Fang asked. Nudge shot a bitter look at him. She didn't want to admit that she didn't truly know either.

"I know that was Max, but I don't know why she would scream. Hmm . . . you wait here, ok?" Nudge hurried out the door in a snap. It wasn't like Fang could get out of the room. He was roped and tied to many objects.

Iggy also heard the roar as he cooked the meal for the group to eat that night. As it was in the old days, he, Nudge, Gazzy, Angel, and Max would be eating together. The hostage would be there too, but it would still be nice for them to all talk as The Flock. They had all been separated for three weeks now, so Iggy was glad they were going to be eating as a family again.

When that scream vibrated through the air, all of those emotions fled Iggy. He picked up the cooking knife on the table and fled the kitchen. "Max! Max!" He yelled, running to find her.

Meanwhile, Max was staring at the blood on the Eraser's fist. _Unbelievable_. She'd left herself open for attack.

The Eraser took the blow as a huge feat of triumph. Its eyes filled with bloodlust and the animal lurched towards Max violently.

Max, not letting her guard down, easily sidestepped the swipe. She plunged her fist onto the hairy cheek of the Eraser.

By this time both Nudge and Iggy had reached her. Iggy, not being able to se the foe, blindly stabbed the air around him. Nudge, knowing that Iggy would take someone's heart out, took the knife as her own.

The Eraser was outnumbered; that much was obvious. And, sadly for it, every one of his opponents was a tactful criminal, capable of killing in the dark.

But the Eraser wasn't going to give out that easily. He had a few more tricks up his sleeve, ones that were more damaging than the Jeb comment.

Slowly, in a painful transition, the Eraser retracted his claws and his fur shrunk into his body. He was a perfectly normal human.

But he was not normal at all.

Max stared upon his scarred body with no recognition of the person in front of her. She eyed him critically; taking in his superficial looks cautiously. Sluggishly, her eyes moved up to his face.

A jagged scar lay across one of his eyes. The scar didn't damage the eye itself but looked as if it had happened in a painful incident.

The last time Max had seen that scar was the last time she had seen her brother, Ari.

Ari . . . no, it couldn't be. The man looming above her was older than her, and Ari was seven when the incident happened. And if the incident was two years ago then . . .

But Max couldn't shake the thought. All the craze she had stored up in her was let out if a sudden fit.

Max fell to the floor, curling up on the bloody mat beneath her. Her vision was clouded with red, red, red. That was all she could see. "Ari, Ari, Ari." Her hollow voice repeated. "Ari, Ari, Ari, Ari. Ari, Ari, Ari."

On her mumbling went as the man stared at Max in satisfaction. He crouched down to her level and looked at her shaking figure. "Yes, Max. It's Ari. Thought you got rid of me, didn't you? You'll find out that it's harder to get rid of me than you thought."

Ari turned to the surprised Nudge and Iggy. "I am leaving." He said matter-of-factly. "But I will return with others. You people can't all run from your past. One day," He looked at Max contentedly. "Your past will haunt you. Isn't that right, Maxie?"

With a sneer, the Eraser was gone, leaving Max on the floor and Iggy and Nudge feeling sore.


	6. Release and Revenge

Running From the Past

Three hours later, Max was still shocked to the core. That blood-curdling voice couldn't be Ari's . . . right? That wasn't possible. Ari always had a sweet voice, so perfect, so innocent.

But what if? Oh, Max had always hated "what if" moments. They always resulted in pain or disappointment. Like, what if she hadn't killed Jeb? What if she had protected Angel and Gazzy from the adopters? What if . . .

"Hey, Max. I think it's time for you to do your part of the interrogation. Are you ready?" Nudge knew Max was feeling broken, so she decided to use a soothing voice to talk her, like one would use in speaking to a child.

If Max hated anything, it was being spoken to like a child. She wasn't an adult, that much was true, but she certainly wasn't a kid. Children had a sense of innocence that Max had long lost.

"Do not act as if I am a little girl. I may not be the most mentally stable person, but I am not an innocent. I know more than that, Nudge. I can take care of myself."

Nudge felt the briskness of the sentence wash over her. Nudge hadn't heard Max so scary since the Jeb incident. "Ok, then. Why don't you go and do your part?" Her voice came out chipped.

Max didn't realize her mistake as she lazily walked up the stairs, her eyes as hollow as ever. She felt her soul being torn out again, thrown into the flames once more. She thought she had no escape from her hell.

Max slammed the door of the interrogation room, barging in loudly. Fang was sitting quietly in a chair. "Alright," Max demanded, "We're going to do this quickly, and we're going to do it efficiently. First off, what's your name?"

Fang glared at the ground. If he could, he would tear out the throats of these people! He would do it as quickly as he could! "Nicholas. No last name." He grumbled.

Max jotted that down in her mind. "Age?" She asked, continuing to look haunted and mad.

"Seventeen."

Max raised an eyebrow. "Seventeen?" She repeated.

Fang didn't understand why that was interesting to Max. It wasn't like that was an uncommon age. "Yeah."

Max murmured in suspicion. "Hmm . . . ok. If you say so. What's your number?"

Fang lurched. "Is that some kind of twisted pick-up line you use for your hostages?"

"No. What's your number?"

Fang sighed. "Nine."

Max put an artificial smile on her face. "Thank you for complying. Your interrogation is now done." She walked up behind him and loosened all his locks and ropes. "Feel free to walk around the house, just so long as you don't touch anything delicate."

Fang was astounded. It showed on his face. "What?!" His eyes were twice as wide, his mouth open just slightly . . .

"I said, feel free to walk around, just don't touch anything delicate. Is there a problem?" Max was amused at this guy. Quite an interesting hostage he was.

"No, there isn't." Fang stood up and walked to the window, seeing if it would unlock. It didn't, but Fang had expected that.

Max laughed. "Try all the doors you want, but the doors that open to the outside have an electronic communication with your tracker. You won't escape."

These people were so annoying! How was Fang supposed to even hope for a way out now? Damn them all!

Max smirked at the obviously annoyed Fang. It was hilarious to see his actions. He took everything so seriously! Fang made even the interrogation, which was really just in place so that the hostages would feel uncomfortable, serious. "I'm just going to go hang with Iggy and Nudge. Bye."

Fang stared at her fading figure. He hated Max with a passion, but if he had met her on normal circumstances, he probably would have wanted to get to know her. Of course, everything was not like that.

Fang grabbed the door gingerly. It clicked open quietly. The familiar feeling gave Fang a sense of home, something he hadn't felt since his dad died.

Fang's life story was interesting, almost as complicated as Max's. He was born to a teenage woman, a drug addict, and lived a life of poverty. His dad had ditched his mom, and Fang was alone to fend for himself.

Then, a ray of light shone through, just around the time of Fang's sixth birthday. His mom had quit the drugs, and was looking for a respectable, well-paying job so as to make up for the poor life Fang had to endure earlier. She started dating, looking around for good guys to influence Fang.

After two years, she found one. His name was John Cooper, she told Fang when he had met John, and he was going to be Fang's dad.

At first, Fang was skeptical he could ever get used to having another guy around the house, but he adjusted quickly. John was an awe-inspiring person, and a playful dad, too. He would play in the yard with Fang, while teaching him the do's and don'ts of being a hedge fund manager.

That was his job; hedge fund manager. It was difficult, but he always put a smile on his face. Fang had always wanted to come home to his wife and kids with a smile like that.

On one fateful day, just nine years later, John Cooper set out to work after a rough fight with Fang's mom. He was so angry, he felt like he might just leave that woman behind, and take Fang with him to someplace amazing.

He walked to his office, where he saw one of is clients who had failed to profit. He thought the man was just there to say a few angry words, but no–the man pulled out a gun and took John's life.

The last words he ever spoke were, "I'm sorry that we couldn't have parted on better terms." They were directed to his last love; Fang's mom.

After that, Fang's mom cowered into drugs. With his father's leftover money, they were keeping themselves up. But it was easy for Fang to see that they were doomed.

Fang had never felt so hopeless. At least, not until Max had shown up.

_Max. _Just the name made bile rise in his throat. It was because of people like Max that his father had died.

As Fang descended the stairs, he knew what he was going to do to make them pay. Even if it cost him his sanity.

* * *

The boy walked to the man. His feet clattered on the pavement as he made his way toward him. This man was not to be messed with.

"What have been called for, my lord?"

The man smiled at his newest creation. He was perfect for his plan.

"It seems Ari did not work properly. We expected a different kind of reaction from Max. However we think you will do the trick. Your friend . . . what was her name? Maya, was it? Well, Maya said you could do the job."

"I can, sir."

"Very good. Now, you can't attack Max just yet. First, she has to fall in love with that hostage of hers. I know that seems unlikely to happen, but it will, trust me. Then, when she's at her weakest, get her."

"How am I to do that? How am I to make her come here willingly?"

"Don't you know? Max has always been afraid of her past."

* * *

**Yeah, so, I'm sorry for the long wait. I don't really have an excuse for it. I was just being lazy . . . sorry. I know this chapter is uber-short, like, as short as the Uber-Director's reign of "terror" lasted, but I hope you don't mind. And have any of you noticed how I'm putting pieces of the actual story in this original story? Haha. Chapter preview for whoever can guess who the two people speaking were. PM or review to give me the answer. **


	7. Knives and Names

**Running From The Past**

Fang gripped the kitchen knife behind his back. This was it. He was going to do it.

It had taken Fang a while to prepare for what he was about to do. He hadn't even realized what he was going to do when he grabbed the knife. It had taken him minutes to understand that he had subconsciously made plans with this knife, and that was why it was hidden behind his back.

Fang was currently sitting at a large table. Max had told him that he was going to be eating there with the rest of them. He sat at the seat he was directed to and watched Nudge, Iggy, and Max set the table.

Iggy dished the plates with delicious food. He put loads of meat, pasta, and seafood on each plate. Fang felt his mouth water. But he knew he wouldn't even taste the food before he launched his plan into action.

The food . . . it made Fang want to drop the knife and stay with Max, if only for the food. If he stayed, Fang might eat like this often. Oh, the idea sounded so good!

Fang shook his head to clear those thoughts away. No. He couldn't think like that if he wanted to survive. The knife was a desperate escape.

A doorbell rang loudly. "I'll get it!" Max screamed, dropping the silverware she was carrying.

Fang jumped up in curiosity. Weren't Max, Iggy, and Nudge the only one involved here?

Fang followed Max to the front door. Max paid him no attention as she yanked open the door.

Two adorable children were in Max's arms in moments. There was a small boy, maybe ten or eleven, gathered in Max's arms. He smiled with the childhood innocence that so few of Max's company had.

The other was a tiny blond girl. Her arms were wrapped around Max's neck so tightly that it looked as if she was choking Max.

Tears started leaking out of Max's eyes. "It has been so long since I last saw you guys!" Max exclaimed. She kissed the girl on the forehead and patted the boy's head. "It's been two weeks, right? I've missed you so, so much!"

The little girl began to cry, too. "I kept on coming over, but you were never here. The only way I could talk to you was over the phone, and then I was being your strategist. I'm so happy to see you!"

The little boy pulled away from Max and ran past Fang. He launched into Iggy, and they both fell on the floor happily.

It was like a family reunion. Except, with criminals instead of average people.

Fang zoned in on max and the little girl. Max was leaning in to whisper to the girl. "Hey, Angel, do you know how many weeks there are until my eighteenth birthday?"

Angel gasped. "I didn't even realize it! Only two more weeks!"

"And you know what I'm going to do as soon as I become legal?"

Well, sort of legal, but Fang didn't want to say that and spoil the moment.

"What?" Angel whispered softly.

"I'm going to become your guardian. I know that probably sounds like bull coming from me, but I am going to do it. Even if we have to move to a different country. You know that's always been my biggest dream."

"You know that eighteen isn't the legal age for all countries, right?" Angel asked, her eyebrows raised in question.

"Hush! Don't spoil the moment. Now, tell me what you think."

Angel looked at Max with deep love and respect. "I would really like that. And I know Gazzy would, too. But Max, if you're going to be my mom, who's going to be my dad?"

Angel glanced past Max to look at Fang. Max followed Angel's yes to the dark character. "Uhh . . ." Max trailed off. It was obvious she didn't want to disappoint the girl, but there was no way Fang could be this girl's adoptive dad. "We'll just have to see. I'm not so sure you'll have a dad for a few years."

Angel looked unsure of that. "Why can't he be my dad? I know he's your hostage, but can't you keep him? He'd love you eventually, I know he would."

Max sighed. "Maybe, Angel. Maybe."

Max stood up, pulling Angel up with her. The two ignored Fang as they walked down the hallway and into the dining area. Fang followed closely behind, keeping the knife tucked by his side.

Angel gasped at the food. "Iggy," She cried. "You've outdone yourself! This is amazing!" Angel took a seat and was prepared to dig in.

"Angel, manners please." Max eyed her sternly. Angel hesitated for a moment, looking at the delicious food in front of her. "Angel!" Then she slumped her shoulders and waited for the others to sit down.

Iggy and Gazzy sat next to each other, as did Angel and Nudge. That left max and Fang at the ends of the table. Oh, boy. This complicated Fang's plan. It would be easier to accomplish if Max was next to him, but he supposed beggars couldn't be choosers.

"So," Angel said cheerfully, "Who are you? Wait–let me guess. Is your nickname Elmo the Emo?"

Fang calmly shook his head "no". Inside, he was boiling with rage. Why did everybody think he was emo?

"Hmm . . . not a talker, I see." Angel continued through mouthfuls of food. "Are you Mr. Quiet?"

"No." Fang made an audible noise so that Angel could hear him.

Angel munched loudly. Her eyebrows were furrowed together in confusion. "But Max always chooses the funny ones." Her lips pouted in defeat. "I'm beat. Gazzy, do you want a turn?"

Fang hadn't paid much attention to the blond boy. It was easy to notice he and Iggy had been close, but Fang hadn't watched him much. Now he was noticing the boy, if only for a second.

In that second, Gazzy decided to show Fang his . . . _talent_. It wasn't often Gazzy got to surprise someone with his unfortunate gift, so he let it rip.

Iggy, sitting right next to him, got full blast. "Oh, Gazzy! Not at dinner!" A brown cloud started to rise around the food. "No!" Iggy screamed. "Cover the food!"

"Food? What about your face? What about your nose? I'm not sure about you, but I think I want to live past this meal! I wanted to do so many things! I wanted to go to Tahiti! I wanted to eat nine snickers bars in one sitting without barfing! So far, I've only gotten to seven!"

Gazzy crossed his arms. He grumbled, "Guys, it's not that bad. It's like a perfume. My own, personal perfume."

"Nobody likes your perfume, Gazzy."

Fang didn't know what caused him to speak. He just knew that he needed to. He needed to talk to these people. There was just a gut feeling, telling him that he could talk them like he could talk to family.

Everybody else's eyes turned to Fang. For a moment, Gazzy's scent was forgotten, because they all felt it, too. They felt the comfort of his words, the familiarity of the sound. It was almost like they had been friends forever.

But then that moment was over, and everybody resumed natural position. There was one thing they hadn't settled, and Angel cleared it up in one second.

"Fang. Your name is Fang." She announced.

Nudge nodded earnestly. "She's right. Now, I'm going to go get the Febreeze." Nudge got up and walked towards Fang and top the hallway.

This wasn't going as planned. Fang wasn't going to get Nudge, he was going to get Max. Should he get Nudge? Should he wait for Max?" His mind raged.

In a split second, Fang pushed Nudge against the wall. He whipped out his knife and forced it against her throat.

Max stood up instantly and started to make her way towards Fang.

"Another step and her throat is slit." Fang warned coolly.

Max smirked cockily. She took a long stride to reach them, pulled out a gun in her pocket, and pressed it to Fang's head. "I don't play that way, buddy."

* * *

**I don't own Febreeze. Or Max Ride. None of you guessed the correct names, but you'll have more chances later. some of you were half right. I'll give you a hint: one of them was Jeb.**


	8. Voices

**Note: School is wrapping up, so I'm working really hard on that. I might not update so much . . .**

To: Jeb

From: D

Dear Jeb,

We are pleased to inform you that your daughter, Maximum, has been found by one of our agents. He took the identity of your son, Ari, so that we could have the best results. After our test, we saw that your daughter is very much haunted by her past. We do not believe she ever truly got over what she did.

However, we also wish to tell you that she is not helpless. She is working with her friends that helped her with her crimes and the two orphans she saved a while ago. There is also another, one that we haven't seen before, but we believe that he is merely a victim of her escapades.

Do not be fooled by her strengths, though. Her weaknesses are far greater, for she will soon realize that what she runs from-you-hasn't truly left this planet.

We may not need your secret weapon after all.

Sincerely,

D

* * *

Fang was sitting in a dark room by himself. This is where they had put him after his craze today. Now Fang was pent up, or as Max put it, "taking time to think about his actions".

Thinking was never Fang's strong spot.

Fang heard the door open, and he saw Nudge creep inside. "What?" he asked quietly. "Have you come to shout at me, too?"

Nudge visibly softened. Her eyes showed an ounce of compassion and pity. "No, I'm not. I just wanted to tell you that I'm not mad at you, and I don't think you should have such a punishment. That doesn't mean that I think you should pull knives on people, especially people such as myself."

Fang raised his eyebrows in incredulity. "Are you freaking kidding me? You and your friends have me totally trapped, yet you don't feel bad about it."

Nudge snorted. "I do feel bad about you. And so does Max. She'd never tell you that, of course. Max doesn't like having weaknesses. But don't be fooled, because Max would never hurt somebody if it were up to her. I'm sorry you got tangled up in this, but this is more complicated than you think."

"If you let me go, it'd be so much more simple!"

Fang felt his head snap sharply to the left. Nudge was standing over him, glaring furiously.

"I came down here to be as nice as I could be." She hissed. "But I regret it all."

She left the room, stomping loudly on her way out. Everything about her was noise.

Fang sighed. That was one more person in the house who positively hated his guts. He was so dead meat. Pretty soon, they'd probably just want to get rid of him, which was what scared Fang the most. What if his disposal was also his death?

_You know, Fang, not everybody hates you._ An angelic voice said in his head. _I merely dislike you. _

Huh? Fang shook his head. **I must be going crazy. **He thought.

The girlish voice giggled. _You're not going crazy, you idiot. You're just witnessing a special performance of one of my talents. _

Fang was beginning to recognize the voice. **You-you are that little girl from dinner.**

_I am not little! _The Voice screamed. _Little is insignificant, and I am very important. _

Fang grumbled. Just another person to yell at him. Yay for him.

_Excuse me? I am actually trying to help you!_

**Well, I have yet to see you help me with anything! **Fang shot back at her.

_Ok, ok. I admit that I am not helping you now, but I will-I promise. See, you don't realize my vision. I have one for you and Max. _

Fang rolled his eyes. Was she saying that was trying to set them up?

_I think you are a good influence on Max. I don't really know you, true, but I think I'd want to. Max never brings hostages to the house to meet us, and she certainly never gives them the look she gives you._

**Oh, yeah? And what look does she give me?**

_She gives you the "I wish I knew more about" look and the "I think you could help me" stare._

**Help her with what? Building her criminal record?**

_I think you've noticed that some things about Max are a bit strange. I think you can help her. _There was a rustle from the side of the girl's connection. _I have to go. _The Voice said urgently. _Think about what I said._

* * *

"Ella! Ella, wait up!" A little boy screamed. "Stop!"

A girl with dark hair turned around. She looked annoyed at the child. "Hurry up, Ari! I want to get home to do homework."

Ari's eyes started to become shiny at the insult. He was a sensitive seven-year-old, and he hated when his sisters yelled at him. He whispered, "Ok, Ella."

His footsteps turned to a quicker pace as he tried to keep up with Ella.

"Ari," A soothing voice told him, "You walk as fast as you want to. Don't let Ella pressure you into going fast."

Ari crossed his arms and huffed. "I can be as fast Ella."

The girl chuckled. "Of course you can." She assured. "But wouldn't it be easier if I carried you?"

Ari put on a small smile and nodded. The girl opened her arms and let him climb up to her shoulders.

The girl was a fast walker, and soon surpassed Ella. "Hey, Ella." She called back to her. "Hurry up. I want to go home to do my homework, and you're slowing me down."

Ella ran up and hit the girl on the back of her head. "Oh, shut up. You know I wasn't being serious about that."

The girl was about to reply when her cell rang. She looked at the caller ID. It was Nudge, her closest friend. She answered the call in a second.

"What is it?"

"Max, we have problems."

The girl sucked in a breath. "Is it what I think it is?"

"It's worse. Drop the kids at your house and then come over, pronto. I think the police are on our trail."

"You mean _my_ trail. I never put you in my messes. You're off the hook."

"No, I'm not." Nudge hissed. "They know."

"Who knows?"

"Do you really need to ask that?"

"Just checking."

Nudge sighed. "Just hurry over, Max. Before you get killed."

Max clicked the phone off and put on a smile for her siblings. "Let's have a race home, ok? First one home gets ice cream."


	9. Author's Note- Hiatus Pretty Much Over

See my new cover? Isn't it cute? I made it myself! If you want one like that, PM me. Tell me what you want and I'll try to get it.

So this is an author's note. Sorry. I'm doing this to tell you that I will be continuing this story, despite the month or two of hiatus. I am mainly working on my wattpad story: story/7223686-no-shit-sherlock

But when I'm not working on that, I'll work on this.

Expect updates once or twice a month. Not too often.

Cover examples: photos/97421789 N02/sets/72157634265001647/


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